Written by Elijah P.
Parañaque’s very own desktop pop musician Mikee Mendoza aka Lory released their debut self-titled EP with the help of Terno Recordings. Like a tidal wave on a sunny afternoon, the 16-year old sophisti/city pop wunderkind virtually came out of nowhere. With their label distributor promoting their upcoming EP in the middle of a Facebook doomscroll, the chance of seeing a polo-wearing starry-eyed musician with a knack for guitar licks and synth-y embellishments are unmissable, unless you’re the type to follow Terno’s highly curated city pop picks in the past 3 or 4 years. Apart from this project, it appears that Lory could gel with the Terno crowd, only for a short while that is. Partly this is due to the uncharismatic vocal presence throughout the self-titled project.
“Pleaser” and “See The Now” have outstanding chops in composing a colorful mishmash of riffages and bleeps, furthermore the guitar work emulates lounge-y theatrics and the laser-like synth presets hop in and out of the track whenever it likes. But to emphasize chops in a constructive manner, the singing barely carries any of the bright production that’s established in the EP; “Over (Now)” drags tremendously as Lory continues to become a grand champion at the annual snorefest, specifically in the vocal department.
Its vocals have become a factor at diluting the soundscapes to mere copypasting of previous musical trends, such as the peak of Spadesmania or She’s Only Sixteen’s millennial Poblacion bar songwriting. Lory instantaneously drags the listener to its doom by providing an underwhelming closer to the EP. The production choices and its outlines are spick and span but its direction leads to a sonic dead end. To what looks like a fantastic from front cover to back listening experience, the debut project holds itself back in tweaking its gear to full throttle. Lory’s self-titled EP is a trial and error piece on city-pop sound design and a clear example of how its vocal performance could potentially end up in becoming a deal breaker for many.
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